Last.fm inks music deal with Sony BMG

Last.fm, the online social music network, today announced it has reached a content deal with Sony BMG to offer the label’s extensive catalogue of recordings to more than 20 million users of Last.fm's radio streaming service, who can listen for free online or discover new artists from Sony’s catalog using Last.fm's recommendation system.

"The Last.fm streaming service will give our established artists a platform through which they can reach new audiences, and their unique recommendation system will provide our emerging artists with an important opportunity to build their fan base," commented Thomas Hesse, President Global Digital Business and U.S. Sales, SONY BMG Music Entertainment.
The site recommends new music to users by monitoring their music-listening habits on their computers and portable music players. Last.fm – recently acquired by US television broadcaster CBS – already has similar partnerships with EMI, Warner and indie label groups The Orchard and IODA, making it the biggest music catalog of any web radio service in the world, according to CBS, with access to nearly 3.5 million tracks.